Dental-floss holder.



WITNESSES H. C. H'OCHSTADTER.

DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER.

APPLlCATION men AUG-5, 19w. RENEWED JAN. n. ma.

Patented Feb. 26, 1918.

mam c. HOCHSTAJDTEB, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

. JDENTAL-FLOSS HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Net. so, rare.

Application filed August 5, 1916, Serial Ito-113,225. Renewed January11, 1918. Serial No. 211,458.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY C. HOQH- STADTER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, res ding in the city and county of Philadelphia, State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Dental-F loss Holder, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a holder for dental floss, silk, or otherthread, embodying a stock having thereon a bow on which the I floss. isbridged, means for controlling the thread tightly in position, means forcutting or severing the portion of the floss after use, and means forspoolin or reeling the thread on the device for supp y purposes.

The invention issatisfactorily illustrated in the "accompanying drawing,but the 1m-.

portant instrumentalities thereof may be varied, as long as they areincluded in the scope of the claims.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a dental floss holderembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a central longitudinal section thereof.

Fig. 3 represents a top or plan view of a detached portion of saidholder.

Fig. 4 represents a transverse section of the clamp employed for holdingthe floss.

Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal section of a portion of the stockthereof Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts inthe figures.

Referring to the drawings,

1 designates a stock or body of the device composed of a flat or othershaped plate, and 2 designates a portion thereof comprising the handletherefor.

The end of the stock has thereon the separate arms forming the bow 3across which is stretched the piece 4 of dental floss, or flosssilk (orother thread), the ends of the bow having therein the eyes 5 throughwhich said piece 4 is passed, the outer sides of said bow and the sides6 of the adJacent portions of the stock 1 being grooved in the longitu-I dinal direction thereof so as to have portions of said piece supportedthereon after passing from the eyes 5 to the transverse openings 7 insaid sides, said openings 7 extending obliquely through the stock andterminating on the face thereof as at 8, said piece being passed throughsaid openings 7 and appearing on said face.

separated from said face so that portions i of the piece 4 may be passedunder said plate and so clamped to the stock, whereby the piece 4 willbe held taut on the bow 3. On saidfacefo-rward of the clamp 9 is thepost 11 which serves to guide portions of the piece 4 in crossedcondition to the clamp, it being now noticed that the piece 4 will be.held firmly in position on the bow, and the portion .of the samestretched on said bow may be inserted between the teeth and so employedto cleanse the same as usual in such cases, after which the portions ofthe piece 4 held by the clamp are released of the latter, and the piecerun off in such manner from the bow that a fresh portion of the piecemay be supplied to the bow, while the portion of the piece that has beenused for cleansing. may be severed from the remainder.

For this purpose, there is secured to the side of the implement theblade 12 whose cutting edge is convenient at the side of the stock sothat the used portion of the piece reaching said edge may be pressedagainst the latter and thus severed or cut and thereby removed from theimplement.

In order to supply the bow with the floss, silk or thread, I employ thereel or spool 13 which freely occupies the recess 14 in the face of thehandle 2, and has the silk or thread wound thereon, said spool andrecess having over it the plate 15 on which it is pivotally connectedwith the handle 2 b the screw 16. In order to permit the si k or 7thread to pass under the cover 15 as it is run off of the spool, 1 formin the face of the handle adjacent the recess 14, the groove 17 forminga runway for the silk or thread as the latter is drawn ofi from waiy tothe bow 3. I

11 order to provide the fullest depth of the recess 14 to receive thespool 13, said recess is formed entirely through the handle 2, and whatmay be termed the bottom of said recess is closed by the plate 18 whichis secured to the underside of the handle by the screws 16 and 19, orother means, as best understood on reference to Fig. 2. In the plate 15is the punched-in stud 20 which is the spool on its on the stock in aand form an-axis to cause said spool to turn on said stud and avoidfrictional contact with the wall of the recess 14.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is 2-- 1. In a holder for dental floss, astock, and arms thereon forming a bow which is adaptedv to carry theportion of the floss to be presented to the teeth, said stock hav ngrooves in its sides, openings extendlng rom the terminals of saidgrooves obliquely inwardlyon the stock and from thence out wardlythrough the face of said stock, and a clamp on the stock rearward ofsaid open- In a holder for dental floss, a stock, arms thereon forming abow which is adapted to carry the portions of the flos to be presentedto the teeth, a plate member on said stock for clamping portions of thefloss and holding it ti htly ln ositionand a post vance 0 said clampadapted to direct the floss in cross condition to said clamp.

3. In a holder for dental floss, a stock, means thereon for holding theportion of the floss that is to bepresented to the teeth, a clamp onsaid stock, said' stock having therein openings through which the flossis adapted to be passed, and a post on said handle therefor, means onsaid stock tor holding the portion of the floss that is to be presentedto the teeth, said stock having therein a recess, a spool for the flossadapte to be seated and retained in said recess, and a cover mounted onthe stock adapted to close said recess, said cover having thereon apunched-in stud adapted to engage the bore of the spool.

5. In a holder for dental floss, a stock, a handle therefor, means onsaid stock for holding the portion of the floss to be presented to theteeth, a spool for the supply of floss, said handle having therein arecess extending therethrough to contain said spool, a movable cover onsaid handle over said recess and spool, and a plate on said handle belowsaid recess and spool, said plate being adapted to cover the undersideof said recess, and being movably connected with said handle andprovided with means for retaining it in closed position.

HARRY o. HOCHSTADTER.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. Wmnansnsm, N. Bussmonn.

